Warrior

Muscly tough guys torn by emotions, depicted in brilliant performances by the up-and-coming acting elite. Their display of physical prowess, especially Tom Hardy’s, and commitment to the characters and the story are what make this otherwise simple and unoriginal film so powerful. You believe every word they say and perceive the weight of their disaffection, and thus all the more thoroughly feel the film’s ending, which is impossible to watch without a tear in your eye. Veteran actor Nick Nolte is a worthy teammate to the younger guys and director Gavin O’Connor is a guide with a clear vision. Warrior is a brilliantly cast actors’ film. (01/01/2012)

Cliché over cliché where everything goes according to a template seen hundreds of times, following the expected tracks, when it’s very easy to guess the development of the plot for long minutes ahead, even the dialogues you can chew in your mind before the actors let them out of their mouths. The comparisons with Rocky are ridiculous; more than anything, Rocky was an original and unconventional love affair, while Warrior has nothing original and unconventional at all. PS: Forget the much-vaunted Oscar, boys and girls. (10/12/2011)

I welcome making the “I’ll take some – I’ll dish some out – I’m the winner” formula exceptional by dividing attention between the two actors in the final conflict, who also happen to be brothers (thus a bit of biblical symbolism to top it off). At the same time, I find it regrettable to not use the plot to generate greater ambivalence. Through the emphasis placed on the familial subtext and the praiseworthy teaching work, we are subtly directed to clench our fists when Brendan takes a punch, not Tommy, whose system is stolen (which, nevertheless, is not appropriate). The film does not show the desperation arising from the endless carousel of defeats and victories as in The Wrestler. Where Aranofsky's drama was critical, Warrior is pathetic. It does not dissuade from mindless violence, but rather encourages it with aggressive music. Furthermore, voluntary self-destruction has been the only option for both brothers from the beginning to preserve (or possibly improve) their existence. In the interest of its own dramatic functionality, the film does not allow any other option. Brendan fights in order to support his family, whereas Tommy fights because adrenaline gives him strength (this post-combat inability to give up fighting was captured more sensitively in The Hurt Locker), which is another reason to have more understanding for Brendan. Despite that, Tom Hardy’s performance made me feel sorry that the entire film is not focused solely on him. However, the more brilliant actor does not disguise the mechanical construction of the drama: the son does not like the father, the father gets wasted, the son pities the father and vents his frustration when he crushes his opponent in a match. This works in a beautifully simple way in films and perhaps we even long for it somewhere inside, but the emotional impact of this would-be psychological film suffers because of it. Warrior does well when, after approximately eighty minutes, it resigns itself to some sort of psychological dawdling and then only shows from different angles how two guys beat and kick each other and how others watch them. The matches are directed as uninventively as the dialogue scenes, which stultify us with endlessly alternating shots and counter-shots. The camera either remains outside of the cage and/or attempts to imitate the unprepared shooting of television cameramen, thus simulating the experience of at-home or live viewing of similar matches. Unlike Scorsese in Raging Bull, for example, O’Connor does not bring an aesthetic element into the violence, and thus does not make it an action surpassing everyday experience, thereby merely promoting the numbness of the audience and giving the impression that it is something ordinary. In short – and unfortunately – an uncritical film. 70% (09/10/2018)

If someone had told me a couple of days ago that there would be a combat sport drama that would get close to my TOP films of 2011, I would have laughed to their face. Fighter, The Wrestler, Cinderella Man, Rocky, Raging Bull… I didn’t give five stars to a single one of them and I’m actually trying to remember whether I’ve given such high rating to any other sports film. Warrior has a very straightforward plot and nobody will have a hard time figuring out how it ends – although I must say that I thought of two other endings while I watched it, both fairly effective, so I wasn’t all that sure. In the end, the creators took the path of least resistance, but it doesn’t matter, I can forgive that, because if I look at the not very sophisticated script (which doesn’t mean that it was stupid!), it’s brilliant and it works both as a drama and as an action film about fighting. In the end, Warrior arouse in me more rapturous emotions than any other film this year. Tension, followed by joy, followed by sadness, all with a great soundtrack in the back. I really prayed that the barrage of emotions wouldn’t be ruined with some pointless dialogue. Fortunately, it didn’t happen. PS: Now I believe that Hardy’s Bane will match Ledger’s Joker, really. (02/12/2011)

Hollywood fluffy filler about one brother's (lack of )bonding, dosed in the style of an impactful arena film. We see emotions pass through stone faces, cheap whiskey, and the musculature of movers, but the film tries so hard that it's more or less impossible not to succumb to it. Let's take the occasional outpourings of hatred around with a grain of salt and off to the gym! (27/12/2011)

An ode to (movie and viewer) joy that is spoiled just by trying to catch too many birds in bushes. To hell with all those clichés, but I would welcome it if it concentrated only on the brothers and father (plus their demons); this does actually happen, but not until the very end. Which means that all of the preceding, subordinate motifs just fizzle out. (14/12/2011)

Deceptively familiar plot template, masculine sweat in every minute, and problems that will forever stare back at you. Warrior is at first glance a kind of screenwriting calculation. It takes elements from various plot premises of famous boxing dramas and wraps everything up in themes that appeal to both audiences and critics. Iraq, heroism, trauma, high school, debts, alcoholism intersect here, with the strongest family values remaining at the center, wrapped around bitter memories. But it works, and it works perfectly. Gavin O'Connor has learned from Miracle that some emotions work better implied and without words, and with each scene that delves into broken family relationships, he escalates the atmosphere of unwavering fandom and desire for reconciliation. And last but not least, it features Tom Hardy in the forefront, who shatters all doubts with his brute strength. It's hard to say why guys so easily succumb in a moment when they hear the characteristic sound of a blow hitting a muscular body, but the adrenaline that surged in me during each significant fight could power a regional power plant. When even the most hidden memories and associated emotions bubble up during the final song, there is no defense against the power of this narrative. (09/12/2011)

The most perfect form and absolute pinnacle of sports drama. Every viewer will have several other films in the genre that remain more intense for them in terms of their personal experience (in my case, for example, that would be the Japanese film Gachi Boy), but Warrior represents the incredibly flawless use and fulfilment of all of the elements and techniques of its category. In order to lead viewers to sympathise with both main protagonists, the narrative brilliantly composes and conveys information for the purpose of establishing and deepening their motivations and personal levels. The cast features not only Tom Hardy as a man who anxiously keeps his heart hidden away and the excellent Joel Edgerton, who radiates that captivating combination of intelligence, strength and warmth needed for the role of a likable dad and teacher who also happens to be an MMA fighter. This perfectly tuned emotion-generating machine runs at full throttle right from the start, so it is all the more surprising when it shifts into an even higher gear in the final third of the elimination bout. The tremendously dynamic camerawork and quick editing can be egregiously wild because the precise sound mix, screenplay and directing ensure that everything remains clear. The filmmakers not only make excellent use of the roles of the sporting-event hosts, but they also employ all of the preceding motifs to inundate viewers with stunning physical acts and emotional content. The fact that this film didn’t appear in Czech cinemas at the time, even though the rights to it had been bought here, remains one of the greatest wrongs perpetrated by the local distributor. I’m thus all the more pleased that we were able to right that wrong with at least one screening at the Aero cinema, because on the big screen, Warrior is a truly monumental and intense experience. (20/08/2022)

This is why I watch movies: to find a gem like this. I had emotions coming out of my ears, my heart was pounding at 106, and tears were streaming down my face. Drama combined with sports is kind of thin ice. The games have to entertain, they can't be overdone, and they don't mean anything if the drama doesn't come through. But here the foundation is solid, the story is catchy, and the actors have an incredible zest to perform. An amazing cinematic experience. 5 stars. (07/12/2011)

So this is the best picture so far this year. An intense emotional and action-packed fireball with the faultless Tom Hardy and unexpectedly great Joel Edgerton, whose future is starting to look promising. A great idea, swimming in Hollywood sauce and the exiting environment of MMA has exactly the right ingredients. Warrior is about a struggle between two losers, both heroes in a way, but just one of them can win. Sorrow is overcome at the end by joy and the classic lesson “Don’t give up" rings true. I wouldn’t be surprised if this picture became a favorite for an Oscar. (07/12/2011)

One of the highlights of 2011. It is very easy to say that a sports drama is full of clichés – I wonder what kind of story and acting direction a film with this theme would have to have in order not to be clichéd. I recommend disregarding the nitpickers and considering this project as unique, which it is in many respects. The fights are unprecedented fights, I can’t remember such raw realism and kickass editing and sound. The direction of the acting is uncompromising, and the story, in relation to the mentioned superlatives, is such that it allows the actors to shine. Family problems, lack of money, seizures, etc., things that will make a person willing to break bones. And Tom Hardy and his pissed-off persona – I don't remember anything like it in a film. Performance of the year. More straightforward and simpler than Fighter and fiercer and less idealistic than, for example, Rocky. Definitely a classic in contemporary and future cinematography. (05/02/2012)

A very long film with many unnecessary things, but with quite good actors and freshly fierce direction. However, there was so much in the story that I almost didn't care about it. Rather than mixed martial arts, one day I will probably understand football or golf, but the fights were fun to watch and I was surprised to find that I sometimes tend to root for one fighter or another... It’s just too bad the final fight was the worst of all the fights and was strangely sloppy. I liked Warrior's training montage best of all, in which composer Mark Isham sympathetically played with Beethoven's “Ode to Joy". (03/03/2014)

A film in many ways questionable, predictable and Hollywood-ish, but at the same time so stunningly shot, emotionally overwhelming and wonderfully acted that I found in it not only the best film of the year, but the greatest gem in the history of sports movies. Gavin O'Connor demonstrates what it looks like when a director excels, and the central trio of actors perfectly illustrate how to overshadow an excellent direction. Nick Nolte as a broken father and trainer gives arguably the performance of a lifetime (hence the Oscar), and the grunting Hardy is a most charismatic fighter, commanding far more respect than the masked Bane. But my favourite was the incredibly likeable Joel Edgerton, whose character grew incredibly close to my heart, and it was mainly he who helped the fight scenes evoke such a strong emotional response in me that I get goosebumps just thinking about them. The critics have had their say, and I'm sure they will have their say many times more, but I consider this unassuming film with a big heart to be the best we've seen since the turn of the millennium. And I’m clearly not alone :-) (27/05/2012)

I'm starting to seriously feel that it's not possible to make bad boxing movies. From recent times, there are several that can be mentioned: "Million Dollar Baby", "The Fighter", or "Rocky Balboa". None of them are outright bad, each has something that makes it a completely unique experience. The same is true for the movie "Warrior", where it's not about boxing, but about martial arts, but the film definitely has more in common with boxing movies than any karate or kung fu B-movies. The plot sounds a bit cliché. Two brothers, who don't have the best relationship, want to make it to a highly paid tournament. Each has their own good reasons. One even teams up with their father, who abandoned them in their youth, but he only wants him as a trainer, nothing else interests him. He wants to win and his father is the best. The other needs to get their family out of debt, so they return to the cage ring from being a physics teacher, where they want to earn a little extra. It's the only thing they know besides teaching. The film lasts more than two hours, but I definitely didn't get bored for a moment. Besides the fact that the fights are quite good, although not revolutionary, it's mainly because the actors really give a remarkable performance here. Nick Nolte and Tom Hardy are great and in their shared scenes, you can only wonder how perfectly it works, even though you're definitely not watching scenes full of love. Boxing movies are always about the actors' performances. It was simply a pleasure to watch this. I hope that something similar will come along again in the future. More: http://www.filmovy-denik.cz/2012/08/warrior-x-ms-1-sibir-5x-rychle-zbesile.html (25/02/2013)

The fights are fantastic as standalones, but everything that happens between the fights has a solid order and purpose. That Tom Hardy is an up-and-coming acting megastar was sort of obvious from his earlier roles, but Joel Edgerton as Brendan also impressed me in no small way. Nick Nolte is excellent as the broken father. It's really wonderful to see the most refined perfect display of professionalism in every aspect, to watch the acting mega-concert and devour a truly powerful story that wouldn't be half as good without all the emotions, clichés, and (un)predictable curveballs. Seeing the utterly heartfelt and focused performances of the actors (and identifying with the characters) leaves you in a state where you feel every scrape, every hit, and every blow delivered to the two leads to your own deepest places (I hope no one took this as an attempt at a dry joke with the most deepest places, because I really don't mean it that way). Warrior is a film that wrings out the emotion (but by no means in a shallow way), a film where we know in advance how it will turn out. It just makes us wonder if that's not actually what we expect from a film, and negative reviews of the ilk of "it's just emotionally manipulative" or "beautifully made, but actually pretty empty, relying only on effect and perfect form" are actually our defense, because we're not willing to admit to ourselves how a movie (just a movie!) has had its way with us. I'm not saying you should watch movies without a brain. I'm just suggesting that if there are any kinks in this film (there would be, because there are always kinks in everything), they can't affect the overall outcome for me, because the emotional power of the entire film is gigantic. And maybe I was watching more with my heart than my brain. (01/01/2012)